The President issued an internal directive five months ago mandating that the USPS initiate a proposed rulemaking regarding election ballot mail.
Posted by Badlands Media, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Badlands MediaSep 16, 2026
The claim matches the Supreme Court's September 14, 2026 opinion in Postal Service v. California, which says that some five months earlier the President issued an 'internal directive' to his subordinates mandating that the USPS initiate a proposed rulemaking on election ballot mail.
The guest relays this claim without endorsing it. It counts as passed on, not against the post.
What was said
… part to me, is that they drug their feet knowing full well that this case was not going to win on the merits, most likely not going to win on the merits. So wait, wait, wait, can we read that back, the paragraph? Because I think it gives good background. "Some five months ago, the president issued an internal directive to his subordinates, mandating, among other things, that the USPS initiate a proposed rulemaking regarding election ballot mail. Just days after the president's directive issued, numerous organizations and a group of states led by California sued in the District of Massachusetts. Days after, did they even read it? …
Badlands Media · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The Supreme Court's September 14, 2026 opinion in Postal Service v. California (Alito, J., dissenting) states that 'some five months ago, the President issued an internal directive to his subordinates mandating... that the USPS initiate a proposed rulemaking regarding election ballot mail.'[1][5]
Supports. Executive Order 14399, signed March 31, 2026, Section 3 directs the Postmaster General to issue uniform standards for mail-in and absentee ballots through USPS, which is the rulemaking the claim describes.[2][3]
Supports. The CRS report confirms that the President issued EO 14399 on March 31, 2026, directing USPS to issue regulations on federal mail-in ballot standards, and that USPS then issued a final rule in August 2026.[4]
Context. The claim's 'five months ago' timing is consistent with the March 31, 2026 order relative to the September 2026 posting. The 'internal' label is the Court's wording; the directive was a published executive order.[1][2]
Sources
5 sources: 4 primary, 1 tier 2
- 126A305 Postal Service v. California (09/14/2026)supremecourt.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 2Presidential Documentswhitehouse.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 3Ballot Mail for Federal Electionsfederalregister.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4USPS Ballot Mail Rule: Overview and Potential Impact - Congress.govcongress.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 5Read the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Mail Voting Restrictionsnytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The President issued an executive order in March 2026 directing the Postmaster General to initiate a rulemaking process regarding mail-in and absentee ballots.True
- Donald Trump signed an executive order in March that directed the Post Office and other government departments to create a plan to secure mail-in balloting.True
- The President issued an executive order in March focused on mail-in voting and the Postal Service.True
- Donald Trump issued an executive order to deliver mail ballots only to people on lists of mail-in voters that states must turn over to the USPS.True
- In late August, the Postal Service promulgated a final rule requiring federal ballot mail to be sent in envelopes with an election mail logo, high-speed processing compatibility, and a unique voter barcode.True